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Friday, 28 November 2014

There is nothing better than a lazy day where you can sit back and enjoy the day, starting with breakfast in bed. Which is why, as my entry to the #PowerOf3 Challenge, I am showing you the perfect breakfast - for me anyway - that you can make in the quickest amount of time and enjoy fresh.

Chocolate filled croissants.

All you need:
- Ready Rolled Croissant dough. (Because life's to short...)
- A Tube of Rolos
- A dash of flour just to stop the dough sticking.All that you need to do:
- Turn on the oven to 200'C and dust the work surface with flour.
- Open the tube of dough and separate into the pre-cut triangles.
- Line up Rolos against the short end of the triangles.
- Roll and Shape into Cresents
-Place in oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
-Take them back to bed for a relaxing breakfast in bed.

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

There is this idea that students are somewhat promiscuous at best and that we open ourselves up to a whole host of risks. We are extremely lucky to live in a modern world where sexual health is considered really important and there are plenty of helpful tips and support at our fingertips.So although there is no excuse for ignorance these days, but what
about before?

In the past people have
used weird and, potentially dangerous things, to prevent pregnancy.

Squat and sneeze – no, this is
not a gym workout. It was once considered to be a post-sex position
to clear the body of sexual fluids. In Ancient Greece, doctors
recommended that women squat immediately after sex and try to do the
biggest sneeze possible in order to rid their bodies of semen and
prevent pregnancy. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t a success.

Beaver testicles – women in
Ancient China believed that drinking tea made from dried beaver
testicles would work as a contraceptive. There is no medical
explanation as to why they believed this and there is no evidence to
suggest it was successful.

Queen Anne’s lace – known also as wild carrot, produced seeds that
were used as contraceptives. Hippocrates wrote about it over two
millennia ago and it was thought that the seeds blocked progesterone
synthesis which disrupted semen from fertilising a woman’s eggs
within 8 hours. This could be the first ever mention of a “morning
after” form of birth control. The only problem was that Queen
Anne’s lace looks similar to two deadly plants, Hemlock and Water
Hemlock, making it very risky indeed.

Papaya –
in South Asia and Southeast Asia, unripe papayas were used to
prevent or terminate pregnancy. The unripe fruit supposedly
interfered with progesterone and prevented fertilisation. The seeds
from a papaya were also used as a male contraceptive and, taken
daily, were supposed to cut down a man’s sperm count, making it
harder to conceive. As soon as a man stopped taking the seeds their
sperm count would revert back to normal. This is not considered an
effective form of contraception today.

Mercury – the Ancient Egyptians
and Ancient Greeks were fascinated by mercury and convinced
themselves that it could treat many medical conditions, from skin
disorders to syphilis. However, Ancient Chinese women were
recommended to drink mercury before sex to convince their bodies that they were unfit
to carry a child. There were many miscarriages as a consequence of
this practise, however, mercury is also highly toxic and many women
suffered organ failure and even died from exposure to it.

These days we live in a
society where there are many forms of contraception available, and
for free.

As a student it is
important to look after your sexual health. Always have an STI check
before any contact with a new sexual partner – you can findyour nearest clinic here. As Klaus Erling Johansen, a GUM
Specialist Nurse who works for CNWL,
advises, "The standard of services in our NHS sexual health
centres ranks among the best in the country. You’ll find welcoming
staff in bright, friendly surroundings. And to make it even simpler,
you can choose to receive your test results by text.”

Remember that you
should never feel pressurised into having sex with anybody and seek
confidential advice if you have any concerns. It's your body after all.

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend the #SotonMeetup hosted by the wonderful Alice & Amzy who always

Most amazing wrap I have ever had!

manage to make these events a chance to sit, chat with each other, network with some amazing brands and drink... Pretty much the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

We were back at the Orange Rooms in Bedford Place, Southampton for this event although we managed to land this rather funky private room - the only disadvantage is that ever photo has a rather orange tint....

I must say a huge thankyou to Gemma and Caroline who helped me navigate from the station and put up with me all afternoon! I don't like turning up at events on my own, and you guys made it a billion times easier!

So between chatting and drinking, the girls and I took the chance to chat to the amazing brands who'd turned up to show us what they had on offer.

Bee Good are a British based company who create and sell natural skincare products using the excess honey and beeswax. I must admit, at first I was sceptical as to how good these products could be, but as soon as I'd tried the handcream I was converted. I will definitely be getting my hands on some more for when my hands are dry after work!

The next brand was Weleda, a well known homeopathic company who have the likes of Victoria Beckham as a fan. They source the purest form of flowers and other herbs and make them into natural products with amazing result.

Last but not least, was the team from Lush Southampton, who talked me through pretty much the entire store and then tried to entice me into spending the rent money - and I was very very close to doing it.... I'm a huge fan of Lush and love nothing more than trying all the products!

The most amazing goodie bag - full of amazing brands!

At the end of the event we all recieved goodiebags filled with lots of different samples... It was definitely like christmas came early and I can't wait to get stuck in and try all the products!

I admit, we as a house, now have our heating on for a couple of hours in the morning and then again in the evening to combat the cold and damp that is becoming ever more an issue. We were trying to avoid it because it just gets very expensive, very quickly which means spending money we quite frankly don't have. Thing is, without the heating the house is going to feel ill which we cannot afford in the 3rd year of university whilst juggling lectures, dissertations, and work.

The media are always reminding us that there is a high level of fuel poverty among the elderly generation but studies show that students fall into group experiencing the highest level of fuel poverty in the UK. In fact 79% of students either turned the heating off or hesitated to use it because they were worried about the bill according to research by NUS and Friends of the Earth.

Which is madness because it means that they are continually having to work out whether to spend a large amount of their income, be that the limited student loan we receive or the money they earn from working part time, on heating their home and keeping warm or to go cold and spend the money on other essentials and with gas prices continually rising, this isn't something that is going to change over night.

Research also shows that more and more students are turning to the world of portable heaters, I know I have, as a way to limit costs and keep warm enough without having to have everyone pay. Calor heaters, for example, allow you to heat a room for less that £1 a night without adding to the cost of the household electricity bill.

It is crazy that this is even a worry for students living in privately rented accommodation. It is crazy that such a developed country that more and more people are going cold and suffering because of it...

Time to get planning and find a way to spread the cost to avoid the way that the Christmas costs just seem to mount up....

Generally I'm the worst person for managing to get organised and pick impressive presents...

But this year, I may have found a way of making that Christmas shopping easier, and managing to keep the costs down whilst managing to deliver presents that are original and manage to leave the recipient with (what I hope) to be a smile on their face.

Flamingo gifts means I can shop online for all the family in one place, managing to find something for literally everyone - and everyone could not be more different in my family - and have it all delivered for 99p, you can't really go wrong.

From scarfs, to mugs, to photoframes, to jewellery. With items from a couple of pounds to a hundred or so (I'm totally lusting after the Voodoo Knife Block - Santa, for Christmas maybe? )

You can't fault the world of choice that is at your fingertips.

I myself was left searching for hours (and that isn't an exaggeration!) and pretty much decided I want the whole site, for myself.

Its safe to say that I'll be back to order the next round of my presents on the site and to order everything when I win the lottery, of course.

Monday, 10 November 2014

In the last few days, I was called fat. Which I am most definitely am not.

A Primark Mannequin spotted in Primark over the Summer.

I may occasionally grow out of clothes, split my jeans through wear and tear and find that I need the next size up in clothes but I am most definitely not fat.

But it got me thinking, if the world is making the judgement on me, what are they thinking about other people? And more importantly if I'm being called fat, what is it that this person believes is the 'perfect size'?

Is it the mannequins that Primark had? Or the other highstreet retailers who are picking tiny models for their advertisments?

How can we expect the world to be a positive place, in which we are all comfortable in our bodies when we are forever having to live up to the unrealistic expectations that society seems to have? How will our daughters feel when they fall short of the unobtainable goal?

I myself am happy, I may have bad days but all in all I am how I am and that's fine for me. I've developed a fairly tough skin over the years and so can let these comments go but I wonder whether there are people out there who would hold onto that one word said to them all day.

Thursday, 6 November 2014

What with the recent weather change, it has finally started to feel just like November - cold and generally just grey and miserable - and with this more and more of us head towards the heating in the hope that we can manage to find the perfect balance between being warm enough and not having to sell a kidney to afford the bills.

@MrAlexWard and his beanie to keep warm...

1. Double up on socks - Use socks that don't have holes to keep your feet warm (I only say this because I seem to have this knack for picking up holey socks when I'm in a rush...), because realistically they are one of the first things to get cold. And cold feet make for a thoroughly miserable person.

2. Wear a hat - Heat rises and most of the body heat leaves out the top of your head. The picture over there (>>) says it all.

3. Comfort foods - Winter is the perfect time in the year to eat proper hearty meals. Recipes for which I have covered before here. Its either that or you eat as much as you can and pray that you build up some sort of winter coat...

4. Hot drinks - Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate or even soup. You name it, it'll warm you up, and if you go all out like me, it'll be a nice little indulgence...

5. Spooning - Grab someone and spoon. I'm sure I saw somewhere the other day that in winter months when people scrimp on the heating that levels of romance dwindle. Somehow the idea of sharing body heat should combat this - just remember spooning leads to forking...

Monday, 3 November 2014

Being a student can be hard work, its the first time living away from home and having to remember all the somewhat grownup things that you don't necessarily think about - from signing up to gas & electricity providers, to making sure the bins are actually put out and emptied on bin day..

But if you search the internet there are many life hacks that aim to make life that little bit easier. The people over at Virgin Media have compiled a list of amazing student hacks that blew even my mind... (And I'd like to think that I do everything to make my life as simple as possible.)

Check out my favorite three below:

So what do you think? Reckon you will benefit from these easy hacks? You can see the rest of the Vines on Virgin Media here. And whilst you're there, you can checkout the cracking student internet deals with a easy calculator to split the bills between you and your housemates. What could be easier

About Me

Spends my life travelling between home and work on the Hampshire/Surrey border and my other home in Portsmouth for University. Happiest when I'm spending time with my family, my university 'family' & friends.
Tweet me on Twitter: @Drurykat
Drop me an email: Gingersnapblogger@gmail.com